Lady Polly Part 16

Miss Dit ton said, looking about to faint dead away.

'/ had not heard that rumour," the Dowager d.u.c.h.ess said, a little irritably.

"Is it certain?"

Mr Dit ton shrugged elegantly.

"Dear madam, who can say? But it would give a great deal of help to Chapman and his cronies to have a wealthy supporter! And not just that, but a man who has the entree to ton functions--why, such a person could advise on the subject for a robbery with violence, he could--' " You're frightening the ladies, Dit ton," Lord Henry said gently.

Polly looked at him. He was wearing the same, languid look of boredom that was his habitual expression in general company and yet for a second she could have sworn that there had been keen interest in his face, as though he were absorbing all that Tristan Dit ton was saying.

"But are you not concerned, March night?" the Dowager d.u.c.h.ess demanded.

"Do you not fear for your life?"

Lord Henry smiled.

"Alas, no, ma'am. I have no energy to waste worrying about criminals and agitators. The set of my coat, the quality of my linen-- those are the matters that preoccupy me! Excuse me!"

And he strolled away into the card room.

"Well!" the d.u.c.h.ess said explosively.

"Was there ever such a man-milliner!

I am thankful we do not have to depend on the likes of Henry March night to defend us from the common people! " "Of course," Mr Dit ton said, a sly look on his equine face, 'it may all be a facade, ma'am!

What if--' he leaned forward avidly '--Lord Henry is our man?

The pose of dandy would be a fine way to dispel suspicion! " This time there was a shocked gasp from his audience. Even the d.u.c.h.ess seemed uncertain how to react. Polly stood up. The candlelight seemed suddenly to make her head ache and she was aware of a constriction in her throat. Everyone seemed to have forgotten the presence of Lady Laura March night, who was looking so pale she looked in danger of fainting.

"Perhaps you will be so kind as to accompany me to the refreshment room.

Lady Laura," Polly said firmly, taking the younger girl's unresisting arm.

"I feel in need of some lemonade. No, thank you, Mr Dit ton," she said sharply, as Tristan Dit ton leaped to his feet, "Lady Laura and I will do very well on our own!"

"Lord Henry is far too lazy to put himself to the trouble of planning insurrection!" the Dowager d.u.c.h.ess said, meaning well, but almost undoing all of Polly's good work.

Mr Dit ton's eyes gleamed.

"You may be correct, your Grace," he said smoothly, 'but how can we know? I tell you, I shall be regarding Henry March- night with the greatest suspicion from now on! " Laura gave a faint moan.

"Poppyc.o.c.k, Dit ton!" the d.u.c.h.ess said, pinning her colours to the mast.

"You should have more care, slandering a man like that! Lucky for you March night's too idle to call you out!"

Polly did not wait for matters to get worse. She practically dragged Lady Laura along the edge of the ballroom towards the door. In the background the music continued to tinkle and a few couples were attempting the cotillion in desultory fashion.

Polly found that she was very upset and chided herself for her foolishness.

She could hardly blame others for dismissing Henry March night as lightweight when he himself encouraged precisely that impression. It puzzled her, for the man she knew was in no way superficial, and yet in general company he appeared to change character and become as shallow as any other pleasure-seeker in the ton. For a moment she remembered that lightning change in Henry's expression from acute intelligence to amiable blandness, then a stifled sob from Lady Laura recalled her to the person who had been most injured by Mr Dit ton's malicious remarks and the d.u.c.h.ess's clumsy attempts to smooth matters over.

"It isn't fair," Lady Laura said pa.s.sionately, biting her lip to stop herself from crying.

"Everyone is so unkind about Henry when he is the sweetest person imaginable!

Oh, I could hardly bear to hear them! I nearly said something I regretted.

d.u.c.h.ess or no!"

She looked at Polly, half-mutinous and half- ashamed. Polly smiled at her encouragingly.

"Mr Dit ton is unpardonable," she said quietly, 'and her Grace of Broxboume scarcely less so! " She put out a hand on the other girl's arm.

"Please do not regard it. Lady Laura! I am sure you are right--you must know your brother better than any of us!"

"He is not at all as everyone imagines," Lady Laura said earnestly, gratefully taking the gla.s.s of lemonade that Polly pa.s.sed her.

"People think him stupid, or frivolous, but they do not at all appreciate his qualities! Why, I know that he is currently involved in work which--' " Laura? " It was difficult to tell whether it was Polly or Laura who jumped more.

Laura had been engrossed in her attempts to exonerate her brother and Polly was fascinated by whatever it was she had been about to reveal.

When Lord Henry himself paused beside them they both looked up, flushed and disconcerted. He raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever can the two of you be plotting? Why, you look the picture of guilt!"

It was too much for Laura. Her eyes filled with tears again and with a murmured word of apology to Polly, she positively ran out of the refreshment room.

Henry watched her go with a heavy frown on his brow. He touched Polly's hand briefly.

"I had no idea that Laura was so upset. Lady Polly. I apologise for interrupting your conversation when she evidently wished to confide in you."

His searching gaze rested on Polly's face for a moment.

"I had better make sure that she is all right. Our mother has not accompanied Laura tonight and I promised to keep an eye on her. Excuse me..."

Polly had no inclination to return to the ballroom. She watched Lord Henry's tall figure skirt the floor and cross urgently to Lady Laura's chaperon, saw the lady point and Lord Henry set off in that direction.

Polly sighed. It was unforgivable of Mr Dit ton to make such ill-bred remarks about Lord Henry March- night in front of his sister and hardly surprising that Laura had been deeply distressed. Nor did she doubt Laura's whole-hearted defence of her brother. For a moment Polly wondered what Laura had been about to say to her, and she remembered the incisive look in Lord Henry's eyes as he had listened to Mr Dit ton. There was no doubt that Lord Henry was an enigma, a.s.suming a superficial and indolent air when he chose, but using it to disguise something deeper. Surely she could not be the only one to have noticed? And yet, it seemed she was.

Mr Dit ton, his sister and Mr Bunion came into the refreshment room, laughing and chatting, and Polly went out into the ballroom to avoid them.

It was al most the last dance of the evening; the orchestra was tuning up again and Polly felt oddly flat. The Season was trailing away in rather insipid fashion now that the excitement of her false flirtation with Lord Henry had ended. She wished. "Lady Polly, may I speak with you?"

She had not seen Lord Henry approaching her, for he had come along the edge of the dancing floor, where a line of pillars cast a dark shadow.

What Polly could see, however, was Lady Sea grave advancing purposefully once more from the other side of the room. Lord Henry saw it too and his lips tightened.

"Come and dance with me," he said a little abruptly. "Your mother will scarcely pursue us on to the floor!"